A Gap in the Universe
by SkyMachines
Summary: A normal human girl falls into the world of Doctor Who, not realizing how or why it came to pass. She embarks on a mission to gain the Doctor's trust without giving up too much information of her origins.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the television show, "Doctor Who," nor any of its characters. The following story was written purely for my own amusement.

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><p>A Gap in the Universe<p>

Chapter 1

A tiny blue box whirred through the corners of space. Darkness controlled the thousands of light years that stretched before it, leaving only silence in its wake.

-THUD-

I groaned and opened my eyes. Pain exploded somewhere between my brain and retinas, so I shut them quickly. A voice was nearby.

_With an English accent…?_

I tried opening my eyes a fraction at a time. A tall, kindly looking man was standing with his arms crossed in the center of the room. He seemed familiar. Strange jaw, thin lips that were quietly muttering, average brown hair, and alert eyes.

"How did you get in here?" he directed more to himself than to me.

_Oh no…_ "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AAAHHHHHHH! AHHHHHH!" I stopped backpedaling into the wall and took a breath to scream again before noticing that the man had backed off considerably.

He patted down at the air with an alarmed look, "It's -all- right, it's -all- right. Calm down."

_This isn't right. This isn't real._ "No…no, no, no, no," I stared at a wall to stifle the information overload. _It's not real._

The man moved forward and crouched. His look turned to one of concern as he did his best to reassure me, "Trust me. I'm the Doctor."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke to the sound of metal repeatedly striking metal outside of the hallway, and swearing in a wide assortment of languages. The surrounding room was dim, with the door left open to the hall. The shelves were bare of decoration, even dust, as if the area had never let in air, let alone visitors.

I felt my head for signs of injury before moving my legs off the bed. The floor felt cold. Oh hell, then this wasn't a dream. I must have passed out. Frowning, I kicked lightly at the bed post.

"Hello!" a voice boomed from the hall. I froze. "Please, do come join me and we'll see about answering some of the many questions you and I may have. Well, I most definitely." The voice continued in a string of speech as I left and walked into the control room. "You, on the other hand, may know exactly what you are doing here, and I would love to know your method of transport. Where did you say you were from?" The Doctor stopped pulling levers and pushing buttons long enough to twist around with a questioning look.

"Um," turning around and looking at the room. "Not here?"

"Yes, I gathered that," the Doctor gave a faint smile and held up a finger. "Let's try again. What planet? What system?" He looked at my comfy clothes and made a face. Then at my medium, dark brown hair. Posture. And took a step back.

"Early 2000s Earth?" A sigh of exasperation and flailing arms as he spun back around.

"You're not gonna like this," I started and put a hand to my head again.

"Yes, I doubt it. Not that I don't like company," he looked up and flipped a hand in my direction. "But you're not exactly coherent, and, ah yes, keep evading my question of just how you came to be on my ship!"

Taking notice of the possessive tone and feeling a glare, I tried a different route. Hopefully, this would get his attention.

"Has your Tardis not been acting well? That puts you in a bad mood. You're usually so nice. Yea…I can't help but feel that there may be an outside factor."

He stopped cold. "You, perhaps."

I considered it, "Perhaps."

"I never mentioned her name."

"No, you didn't."

The Doctor stared. "_Usually_ nice?" He wrinkled his nose.

"About that…I think I need your help," I began again, shuffling my feet. "I didn't mean to show up unannounced on your doorstep. I'm not even sure how it happened. One minute you were…" I stopped before my mouth ran away.

_Ohhh, he doesn't know he's a character on a show. Shit._

"…uh, on your course. And the next, I'm falling into your lovely…ship," I continue, leaving out that "Doctor Who" had been on TV, and smiled in response to his bewildered expression.

"Rii-ight. Okay, this is what we're gonna do," the Doctor pulls the sonic screwdriver from his jacket pocket and takes a quick scan. He frowns and stands up quickly, walking over to the control panel. He stares at a screen, shaking his head, and starts talking to himself. "Why, why, why, brown eyes, are you not registering in my system. You must exist."

He turns and rushes to my side to poke me in the shoulder, looking up and down, "Yes, real enough." He returns to the panel.

I point to the screen and rub my arm, "That thing may not help you. I'm a little different."

"Different. Yes. By the way, a "thing"? You know the type of ship, but not the pieces inside? Interesting," he pauses and turns to me. "I don't suppose you know who I am?"

"Of course. You're the Doctor," I state very matter of fact and ignore the little voice telling me to hold this information back. "You're a Timelord, traveling around the galaxies with the occasional companion. You don't always go where you yourself want, but rather where you're needed, and discover many monsters and dangerous things that I'm not sure I want to be a part of." I stop gesturing like an Italian. No doubt anything could set him off until he's satisfied with all of the facts.

He huffed. "Well, any number of humans could have told you that."

"Do any of them have the technology to send me here?"

He frowned again, "No, but that's just it…" He rubs a hand along his jaw, thinking.

_How can I get him off of this topic?_ "Be careful. If you keep frowning, you'll get a wrinkle."

The Doctor shrugged it off. "Unlike humans, I won't wrinkle for millennia, but _stop_ trying to change the subject," and shook his finger in emphasis. He returned to pacing. "The only way you could reach this location is by spaceship. The Tardis isn't picking up a vessel, so what – the – hell – is – going – on?" He rounded the other side of the control panel and waited for an answer, hands grasping its ledge.

I sighed. "What did your screwdriver tell you?"

He looked at me intently, "That you don't exist."

"Well, that's just about right. I don't exist. What more do you want?"

"A name, first off. Even things that don't exist have names, so what is yours?" The Doctor's eyes darkened slightly.

This was a dangerous game to be playing, but the man is technically a stranger. _And an alien_, I let a slight smile show at that thought. _Badass. An alien tv character is asking me what my name is._

"Alright then. Jen." I smirked at his curious look.

"Jen, there are many things that you're not telling me. Why? What's unnerving you?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow and gestured to himself. "It can't be me. You can trust me."

Well, there it is.

"Look, I'm sorry that I landed in your ship. There's nothing I can do about it. When I figure out how to go home, you'll be the first to know." Guilt started to creep up, but there was still more information to be had.

Silence. Then the Doctor nodded, typed something into the computer, flicked a switch, and pressed a button – "Hold on."

The Tardis lunged forward and to the right, throwing everything not bolted down against the wall – including me. After nearly a minute of being compressed like a bad carnival ride, the brakes' harsh whir roared to life and I regained my grip on the wall. _Oh, I've got to exercise_, I groaned internally and hoisted myself up.

The Doctor hopped off of the center console and opened the door, making a lead-the-way gesture. I glanced at his face to see a neutral expression. He was simply waiting.

Cautiously, I stepped forward and peeked outside.

It was Earth.

20th century.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Hmm…_

Cautiously, and still gripping the Tardis, I turned my head to look back at the Doctor, who I found wearing a smug smile.

_What a bastard._

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It smelled like…french fries. Not uncommon, but the dilemma, and I opened my eyes for this, was that the Tardis had landed on the corner of an alley. Surrounded by fast food joints. Like 'there-is-no-escape' surrounded. Everywhere I looked on the street there were McDonalds and Wendy's and KFC's. There must be a song written about this place. It just doesn't happen. Not even in America. It's a stereotype, granted, but…

And that's when I saw the people. Plump, boisterous, lug heads walking down the street on the way to fast food or work, judging by their suits. And those who weren't overweight were buff and arrogantly pushing others out of their way with beautiful, cocky girlfriends rolling their eyes at the world.

"WHERE THE HELL AM I?" I whirled around and demanded.

He had been engrossed with a piece of lint in a pocket, obviously waiting for me to rush and thank him with open arms. The deer in headlights look he now sported almost immediately made me forgive him.

"What do you mean? You never said what state you lived in, so I just chose a spot," the Timelord sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. Looking left, then right down the street, he shrugged. "Easy enough to remedy. Where do you live?"

"AAAAH! Just ACK!" I was two minutes from telling him exactly where home was. The real home. "Try anywhere else, I don't care. There's something I have to check out."

He studied my face for a moment before twisting and gliding back inside in one fluid motion. I followed. Several seconds of squealing brakes later, and we were in a meadow outside of a generic town – Oregon by the look of it. At least I think it was a town. The kind where every boy was walking hand in hand with a girl, every single adult had stars in their eyes, every house looked like it came straight off of a Hollywood set.

_I think I'm gonna puke_. Taking a deep breath, I looked up to the sky to clear my head.

It was at this point that the Doctor tapped me on the shoulder, almost in a fatherly gesture and asked, "Are you feeling quite alright?"

I couldn't help it. I laughed. I laughed so hard that tears poured down my face. "You're a wonderful person, Doctor."

"Thanks, I guess. Tears of joy, I hope?" He looked optimistic, but I could tell that he knew something was wrong.

"I don't think that you can help me. This isn't my home."

"Well, yes. You still haven't given me your – "

"This isn't even my world," I interrupted. Taking note of his confusion, I gulped another breath. "The US isn't like this. Not mine. My world takes things to less of an extreme. The shades of grey have their own shades of grey. International preconceptions of the US have some truth to them, but it's like 20%, not a full blown 100. Do you understand?" I pleaded. He did seem to be having an 'Aha' moment, as the pacing began again.

"Aha! Yes, that makes a degree of sense, assuming that neither of us is insane. Parallel universes are much more complicated, as well as a sign that reality has a large, gaping hole in it somewhere," he began, and rapped his knuckles across the ship's door, leaning his head against his forearm.

He turned a bit, genuinely curious, and asked, "How do you know that this isn't your Earth?"

"Ah, you silly, ridiculous, English…" I held my head as if in pain. "Not all Americans have girlfriends or boyfriends! Not all of them are loud and arrogant! Not all of them are fat!"

"No, just 80% of them," and he draws a percent sign in the air.

I sighed. "No. Maybe 30-40%. I don't know, just not _this_ bad!" I wave a hand at the townspeople.

"Maybe, maybe," the Doctor mumbled. "That still doesn't tell me how you fell on board my ship in the middle of space. I wasn't even on Earth!" He looked disturbed. "However, I do have some experience in this area. I had a friend not long ago, a very dear – "

"…Rose," I whispered, not thinking that the Doctor would hear words that low in frequency.

" – friend, who…" And there was silence again. He was alarmed now, and turning ever so slowly to pin a question to me. He didn't have to ask. I could see it all over his face.

"Sorry, no. She didn't send me. She doesn't even know me. And!" I halted the next questioning look. "I'm not a stalker. Or anything. I'm from a different universe where you both are…hmm..." I searched for a good neutral word so as not to give up too much information. One slip up was enough. I still needed to learn more about his personality, rather than problem solving skills before he could know everything.

"What?"

Great. "Significant."

He nodded, seemingly relieved. "I believe you're referring to the relationship Rose has with the other Doctor. Tall, dark brown spiky hair, and puppy dog eyes?"

"Ye-es. I should have just come out and said it," I halfway lied, just hoping that he wouldn't press the issue. The information that he misunderstood seemed to make him uncomfortable anyways, as I noticed him shifting from foot to foot.

"Apparently that happened in more than one universe." He reasoned things out for a second.

He clapped his hands, "Right then! I hope you know that there are literally endless parallel universes and almost no means of crossing them." He smiled wistfully, "I do love a challenge. We are first going to return to the original course, maybe a tad earlier than when you landed, to see if the Tardis can pick up a reading."

He opened the ship's door and smiled to himself, "I don't suppose you have many extraterrestrial adventures on your Earth? Still have a rabid curiosity to see the stars?" He emphasized this last word and waggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes.

"I was born to explore."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was 5 past midnight, and the Tardis was still searching for an energy spike near my landing coordinates. I yawned and moved a pawn along the chess board, but my heart wasn't in it. The game was over nearly as soon as it began, but the Doctor's politeness wouldn't let him end it just yet.

BEEPBEEPBEEP BEEPBEEPBEEP BEEPBEEPBEEP

The Doctor jerked his head up, wide eyed, and let out an excited whoop right before the electricity buzzed and the lights cut out.

"Oh, _come on!_" he slammed a hand down and ran for the control panel, but the ship was already whirring to life and taking us into the unknown.

I panicked as a new alarm sounded, and maintained a death grip on the table. "What's happening?!"

"She's found the tear in reality!" he yelled over the squeal of brakes. The box pitched and convulsed as it fought to remain in its own universe.

_That doesn't make sense_… "Why is it drawing us in?!" I tried to hold onto reason as anything unbolted flipped and slid along a floor that was formerly a wall. Remembering the ripped reality in Season 5, I shouted again, "Normal tears don't cause this kind of reaction. Something's wrong!"

The Doctor had reached the other side of the ship, and turned to reply as he grabbed for a handhold. The box bounced again and launched the Timelord headfirst into the ceiling a second before anti-gravity kicked in.

_Oh shit. Be alive, be alive_.

I pushed off of the wall, shaking, as I glided up to the motionless form. I managed a decent fireman's grip before the gravity system rebooted and dumped 200 lbs of tall, ancient eccentric onto my lap.

"GAHH! OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" I clenched my teeth and rolled him onto the floor.

The Doctor twitched and then stilled.

"Oh, good. At least _you're_ alright," I grumbled, rubbing my backbone and sliding backward as the ship rocked again. "I can't imagine that your writers would be very happy if I dropped you on your head."

The control panel on the wall began to flash red and a button lit. An arrow appeared on screen, pointing down at the lit control. I did a double-take. It was practically beckoning for some investigation.

"What would the Doctor do?" I murmured, grinning, and grabbed a handhold that spanned the wall to guide me to the panel. The ship took this moment to shake violently. "Well, that seals it!" and I cackled maniacally –

A groan escaped from the Doctor, " – what…NO!"

– as I pushed the Big Red Button.

A loud wrenching erupted from the walls, and every system in the Tardis shut down. The biting cold of space began to seep into my bones, and air that I had never noticed circulating, stilled.

"Life support," I breathed, and stumbled backwards to sit on the freezing floor.

Click…click…click…click…

I looked at the computer. Nothing on-screen.

Click…click…click…click…

Turning around, it became clear that the clicking was from the Doctor, who had collapsed backward, and lay resignedly drumming his fingers on the floor.

Click…click…click…click…

He turned his head and stared. After a few seconds, he crossed his arms and asked, "Was that absolutely necessary?"

"The computer arrow pointed at – "

The Doctor interrupted calmly, "– Do you always do as strangers ask?"

He had me there.

I sighed, "Your Tardis is going to get us killed. What kind of machine-entity tells me to press a blinking red button anyway? That causes our eventual death?"

The screen was still offline from the main systems, but I could tell that we were moving. It was safe for the past few minutes to walk from one side of the room to the other, and the walls had stopped creaking upon the verge of collapse.

"I tell you what," began the Timelord, suddenly chipper. "Let's try asking her." He pulled himself up and strode to the console. Pressed a button. Dialed a thingymadoo. Kicked the side panel. Nothing.

He sighed, and I rolled my eyes. Then turning, the Doctor casually leaned back and locked his fingers, giving me a smug smile.

"By the way," he began. "I've been meaning to ask. When I was supposedly unconscious, you mentioned "your writers." I was hoping that you could enlighten me on that specific subject." His smugness shifted to a full on grin.

"You fucking bastard."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I was beyond furious. I was livid.

The Doctor just stood there grinning and waiting for the answer to everything.

_Like Hell if he's going to get it! Just on principle._

"The Writers is an alien race from my universe that you probably haven't heard of," I lied. "And when I said, "your writers," it's only because this is _your_ universe and they must be here somewhere." I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows in a you-didn't-know-what-you-were-talking-about look.

The Doctor's smile faded. He nodded, but I wasn't foolish enough to believe that he bought it completely.

"It is a possibility," he acknowledged. "But your posture was stiff, you blinked several times, and you crossed your arms. That tells me that you're lying and on the defensive. What it also tells me is that I can't trust you to tell the truth." And with that he walked toward the front door and opened it to the surrounding universe.

A white and green speckled planet the size of Mars was looming near.

"Friendship is a give and take relationship, Jen, and my patience, as well as understanding, is wearing thin," and he turned around to look me in the eyes. "So this is what we're going do. We are about to land on the world below, judging by the Tardis' final transport and trajectory, the beautiful old girl," he patted the door frame. "First, we'll crash. Then, I'll ask you a series of questions. If you lie on any of them, I will be forced to consider you a threat, and _I will leave you here_."

My jaw practically dropped. _Can he do that?_

As if sensing my question, the Doctor nodded and then huffed in annoyance. "Don't give me that look!" and put a hand on his hip and rubbed his face with the other. "This planet has water, food, air, everything you'll need to survive. Of course, if you answer the questions that you've been avoiding, truthfully, then you won't have to worry about which food is poisonous or which ice ponds have large, scaly creatures living underneath."

The planet was now close enough to catch the ship with its gravitational pull, and the Tardis shifted slightly to follow a more direct route down. The Doctor closed the door before we entered the atmosphere and jerked his head to the control panel.

"Stay above. With no life support, the floor and walls are going to heat up fast!" and he made his way quickly to the stairs.

I grabbed the railing that surrounded the control panel and hoped that the material protecting us from the vacuum's cold would be enough to block the searing heat.

Several minutes of waiting passed.

A shudder ran through the Tardis' walls as it hit the outer atmosphere, but gravity seemed to reel it in even faster. The heat was now radiating from the walls and floor like summer in the desert. Every passing minute it grew more choking in its intensity, though there was plenty of remaining oxygen. It almost hurt to breathe.

I glanced at the Doctor. He was holding onto another railing farther away, lost in thought.

- CRACK –

The ship jolted on impact. I plummeted over the stair railing headfirst, and scrambled for a foothold on one of the bars. I could hear the Doctor shouting my name and the thud of footsteps the second after I looped a foot around metal and my face struck the under- ledge. Flesh sizzled.

"SSSSSSSSSSSSSHIT! _SHIT!_" I gulped air as if it would cool the wound and levered my foot to hoist up my weight and move my head away from the lower staircase. A hand appeared above. I clasped it, slightly dizzy, and let the Doctor pull me to safety.

I climbed up to the console's floor and sat down. The metal was hot, but not burning.

The Doctor crouched and inspected the burn. "Oh…" he grimaced. "You'll have a nasty scar in a few days, but it should heal up nicely with some antibiotics." He stood and looked around, before returning his gaze to me. "You know, this always seems to happen and I've never put in a medical kit."

-_beep_-

"On the bright side, some alien cultures would call this your indoctrination into adulthood - the first major scar," the Doctor lectured and pointed his screwdriver at the bottom floor. He pulled back and checked the readings, returning the device to his inner jacket pocket. "We'll wait for the hull to cool a bit and venture outside. I should be able to locate a medicinal plant of some variety." He smirked, "Now, whether it will make your head glow in the dark is another matter."

I glared half-heartedly.

-_beep_-

Giving the Doctor a curious look, I asked, "Are you…beeping?"

He stared. Then half-turned to the control panel, which I now noticed had a grey screen instead of being pitch black.

"AHA!" He rushed over to hit several buttons and peered intently at the screen. "Hmm…nothing yet. She is repairing herself, though not as fast as I'd like." A glint appeared in his eye.

_Oh damn._

"So," I began. "How long until the floor cools? I can't imagine that this place is completely sterile for healing. The sooner we start searching for that plant, the better!"

I received the I-know-what-you're-doing look, but he responded, "Maybe an hour, half-hour. It depends on how fast the Tardis repairs herself and stabilizes the environment. I do have some questions that I'd like answered in the meantime," and gave me a pointed look.

I bit my cheek to remain emotionless.

"Your eye just twitched. You can't hide what you're thinking from me. I'm over 900 years old!" and he held a hand to his chest. "Trust me. I have experience in basic detail gathering. Even you humans manage this."

He smoothed his hair back, and stared at the floor, as if getting ready for something uncomfortable.

"So, tell me, Miss Jen. Why do you keep lying to me when I can tell that you're a good person? And this does constitute the first of the Truth-Or-Be left behind questions."

"I – "

"Ah, ah. And no stalling," he interrupted. "Continue," and shoo-ed at me.

"It's for your own good," I muttered.

"But why? Why would it help me to not know the full story if I'm to take you home?" he patiently responded. Like I might crack.

_Pah! I'm dealing just fine!_ I squared my shoulders.

"Because it might crack the fabric of reality!" and I held a hand out in the direction of the Gap and flailed a bit. "Again!"

He waited.

"And I don't know how you would deal with it…"

The Doctor shifted to his other foot, "Alright. That's fair, I suppose. Would it suffice to say that my entire life has been filled with incidents that could have cracked reality? That got into my head?" He rapped his skull. "Yet I'm still here. Even better off because of it."

_I don't know for certain how he'll react though. What if this is the one thing that sends him over the deep end? I can't be known as The Girl Who Broke the Doctor!_

I shut my eyes, "No, it's not enough. I can't know for sure."

"Let's try this then. What did you mean earlier by "your writers"? And don't try to feed me that line about an unknown race. If they were important enough to warrant the title, Writers, then there would have at least been documentation on them in The Library." He said it friendly enough, but now remained still, solely focused on information that I was giving away, no doubt.

I chose a different tactic and remained silent.

The Doctor whistled, "Okay then. This one should be simple. What is your Earth like? Oceans? Mountains? Stubborn lifeforms?" He smiled to show that it was still friendly banter.

I laughed a little. "Yea, all of that. It has the same land mass, but no aliens to be heard of, and probably not as many secret organizations."

"Ah, there you go again knowing things. How did you hear about this Earth's organizations?"

I froze.

"It's quite alright. That's why we're talking, remember?" He caught my expression and kept a blank face.

Cautiously, "…Yes. I'm just guessing on the number, by the way. For all I know, my Earth has the same amount of secret societies."

"I need for you to stop skirting the question," the Doctor stated firmly, though not unkindly. "How do you know so many things about this universe? When you first arrived, you knew my ship's name, acted like you knew my past behavior, you mentioned Rose, and even displayed an understanding of ripped reality during the Gap's pull. So, tell me."

I broke out into a sweat. It must be obvious to the Timelord that these were exactly the topics that I had warned him about.

"I noticed similarities as soon as I fell through." There. A short half-truth.

"Mmmhmm. Yes, which is why you gave me such a welcoming scream," he said sarcastically.

"I fell off my couch onto a _spaceship_!"

A sigh, "Yes." He took the sonic screwdriver out and pointed it over the railing again. Analyzed it. "Right then. We can at least get you fixed up before you answer any other questions." He trotted down the stairs and opened the door.

I released a breath that I had been holding and followed the Doctor outside.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The planet was green with sturdy trees, despite the ice.

That was the first thing I had noticed. The second was a nagging sensation that I was forgetting something.

The Doctor set about analyzing the landscape – under logs, on top of stumps, the tree bark. Everything. He came back with a spiky twig that had a piece of the bark torn away, displaying the neon sap underneath.

But I was still forgetting something…

I looked at the Doctor and squinted, trying to determine if that would recall the lost blip of information. My eyes widened as his narrowed.

I had held my breath.

I turned and bolted for the door, but it was already locked. I glanced back around. The Doctor hadn't even moved. He just stood there, staring sadly as I made a bigger fool of myself.

He knew as I half-lied to his face on the ship. He had warned me what would happen. Now I found myself wondering what to do as he stepped closer, one foot at a time. How could I silence those waves of disappointment?

It was impossible.

I stepped back and to the side with his every move forward, circling until he was several feet in front of the ship's door.

"No doubt you're going to say someday that this was unfair," he murmured and stepped back towards the ship.

"Oh, come on!" I found my voice. "You're not going to leave me here over a mistruth! I asked for your help. And there have been very few instances where your honor let you refuse help to a person in distress."

"You lied to my face," he asserted and took another step backwards.

"That information was not for you to know!" I shouted and kicked the nearest tree. A small scaly creature resembling a rat with no head or tail plopped onto the ground. "GAHH!" and I spun around to yell at the Doctor, but saw only the door close and fade away.

"Great," I threw my arms up in the air and stomped around the tree like a 5-year old. "Great, great, great, great."

-_whhuu_-

I looked down. The scaly anti-rat had folded in on itself by a fraction. I nudged it over with my slipper, sending a puddle of acid that it had been spewing slowly towards my other shoe. _Ick…like an evil snail._ I stepped uphill from the tiny predator, only to hear several more plop to the ground around me.

Moving out from under the tree and looking up, it was clear that the lower branches were full of these small creatures just waiting for potential food sources to wander along. My stomach growled at the thought.

I was standing in a clearing of cold moss; the ice ponds were to my back. The trees ten feet ahead were enormously tall, though thin. Where there should have been branches, there were spikes jutting straight out with no overlap. It was geometrically beautiful, but again, deadly.

"I can't believe he left me here," I muttered to myself and mimicked, "_This planet has everything you'll need to survive_. Well, where are the Reeses? Where are the Spagetti-O's, Doctor?" My stomach growled again. "Where's the pizza!"

I wondered for a moment if I could catch a lake monster. Crocodile wasn't supposed to be half-bad back on Earth. Or iguana. _I bet Nessie would taste like cold chicken._

When I looked back towards the lake, I noticed the medicinal twig with its neon sap lying on the ground. The anti-rats were moving back up the tree and out of my way, so why not? No use getting an infection. I sighed and applied the sap to the burn streak along my cheek.

And screamed bloody murder to every anti-rat my side of the planet.

I frantically tried to wipe the sap away, but it had conformed to the burn and turned as hard as amber, sinking into my skin with every second.

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! What the FUCK?!" _Don't pass out. Don't pass out._

The sap began to separate, dividing my skin halfway to the bone. The last thing I saw before falling into unconsciousness was a slew of anti-rats from every tree of the forest's edge inching back down the tree trunks. Dozens were dropping from the higher branches.

A slow advance of death.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

><p><em>Cold…<em>

_Why is it still cold…_

_And Heaven smells like…leaves._

* * *

><p>I never expected to wake up.<p>

It was another part of the forest. There were flowers and various pods, but not an anti-rat in sight. It wasn't Heaven, but it wasn't the hell I blacked out on either.

"Where is this?"

"The Southern sector," I jumped as the reply came from behind me and to the right.

It was the Doctor – hands in pockets and leaning against a tree. A slight smile upon his face. If I ever lived through a plane crash, a sinking ship, or the world's end, I wouldn't be as relieved as seeing this self-righteous alien's face.

"What? You didn't think that I would actually leave you here for good?" He pulled away from the tree. "No, no. I rather like you too much for that, despite your stubbornness," and grinned wider, pausing after a moment to look North with a scowl.

"What did you do when I was gone?" he asked, questioning me with a look. "I had to stun those creatures to stop their progress. They'll be a little confused when they wake up, but nothing else."

My jaw had practically hit the floor. It was like nothing had happened. Where was the angry, live-by-my-rules-or-suffer Doctor?

"I…you came back," and tried to shake the rest of the cobwebs from my mind. Why didn't he leave? He never reneged on a promise. I stayed silent for a moment longer, while the Doctor tilted his head in an attempt to see past my bangs.

Finally, "I think those lizard-rats respond to vibrations. Stomping. Screaming." I pointed to my cheek, "Thanks, by the way."

The Doctor barely paid the comment attention and went to pick up a bundle from the ground. "You were supposed to use the bark. The sap was too concentrated." He straightened up and tossed the bundle, "I brought you actual clothes and shoes while I was gone, rather than _that_," he flicked a hand at my sweats and slippers, rolling his eyes in mock disgust.

It was a little demeaning, but true nonetheless. I looked at the worn, muddied slippers and tried not to evoke the image of myself, the first human explorer of this world, as a civilized nightmare.

"We need to talk. I'll be back in a minute," and he went inside the Tardis, hidden from sight behind a cluster of trees.

I took this as my cue and began rifling through the bundle. The clothes that he brought looked like a normal T-Shirt and jeans, with some off-brand sneakers. Not much better than sweats in terms of fashion, but my practical side was squealing in glee. I took the opportunity to find my own cluster of trees and changed.

"I'm coming out!" The Doctor exited the ship backwards with a hand over his eyes.

I called out, "I'm already done. You can turn around."

He twisted and surveyed the scene, "Not bad. It seems that you actually have a shape." The Doctor was already putting his hands up to ward off my protest. I settled for a glare.

"So…this situation that you've created," and he waved a hand in the air. "Are you finally ready to tell the truth so that I can help you? Or are you making friends with the wildlife?" He raised his eyebrows.

_Repulsive little monsters…_

"Ha! No thanks to you, I've become a local celebrity around here. It seems that everything wants a piece of this," and I pinched some skin. "For lunch. Even the friggin' tree sap!"

"That one wasn't my fault," he shook a finger and doubled back to a tree near the Tardis, pulling off a few loose pieces of bark and pocketing them. "And what have we learned in the meantime? That I keep my promises." He turned quickly. "I left you here. Now is the time when you start keeping your own word."

I was getting too tired to argue. _Maybe it's time to consider it… _At least another night on this icy rock, or just telling him. I would have mentioned it sooner or later. Why not now?

"Sit down, Doctor."

His eyes widened, apparently having not expected this outcome, and sat down on a smooth stone nestled in the moss. "What am I supposed to be bracing for? You're not old enough, not to mention manly or evil enough, to try the "Doctor, I am your father" line," he joked.

"Doctor," I ignored his attempt at humor to search for the right phrasing. "I come from a universe that houses the authors of your _life_. There were several from the '60s, not to mention those responsible for your current personality. Your entire existence and litany of worlds, along with Rose's parallel universe, was sparked from their imagination and set to paper for a television show in England."

Blank stare.

"Well, this explains where the, "your Writer" comment sprang from. This other universe." He spent a few seconds searching my face for something. The truth, perhaps. His brown eyes stared into mine, and he asked, "You're really being honest, aren't you?"

I nodded, not taking my eyes away.

The Doctor looked back down at the ground and bit the inside of his lip, mulling over this new idea. "These people," he began. "These writers of mine, do they live in this universe as well? They may be able to answer our questions about who is searching so desperately for me…"

_Oh…why didn't that occur to me sooner?_

It took me a second to realize the flaw. "It mostly depends on if they decided in advance to ever write themselves into the story line. I don't believe that was the case," I paused to make sure that the Doctor was focused. "That would mean that this universe exists solely for you and any companions or extras that there ever was or will be in this series. My version of your writers, we'll call them Primes, all have alternate interests, even lives, in this universe. Even if the Primes placed one or more of their alternate personas into the series' story line, your versions wouldn't be able to help us. They would have normal lives, most likely so that the Primes could be extras in the background for kicks."

I stopped at the look on his face.

"Kicks," he repeated. "That's just it."

He hesitated, "You mean to tell me," and began to count off on each finger, "that every single person I've lost, every single life destroyed, every battle that could have been won, was done for your world's amusement?"

_Oh God…_

The Doctor looked at me in horror and I felt my heart break.

"We couldn't have known…" I took a step towards him.

He sprung from the ground and backed away in haste, almost losing his balance, and looking for all the world like I was his own personal demon. I couldn't get within 6 feet before he retreated further and further into the woods. His face was pale and hands shaking in either grief or anger. We locked eyes for a split second.

Confusion. Hurt. Mourning. Fury.

I stifled a sob, "I warned you. I tried."

He stood still at the tree line, hands now clenched, eyes firmly on the ground. His head slowly raised and I was permitted one last, fleeting gaze before he melded into the woods, leaving darkness in his wake.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I waited.

The first day wasn't so bad. There was plenty of surrounding forest to explore in view of the Tardis. Moss covered the ground everywhere that the rocks and tree roots didn't reach – even climbing up the bark in some cases. I remembered running a hand along the grainy texture of the bark to the soft and stringy moss covering it. It seemed that this mossy overlap was what the anti-rats digested into acid, as I discovered first-hand that afternoon.

I had circled each tree in my area for a sign of the creatures, half-paranoid that one would crawl into the Tardis while I slept, though I knew that the vibration-response theory was reasonable. I found one a couple of hours later at about a five minute walk from the ship, oozing contentedly on top of the moss-covered bark. As long as I avoided stomping and screaming, it couldn't care less that I was near. Unfortunately, this made shouting for the Doctor out of the question.

It didn't stop me from walking up to the forest's edge before nightfall, searching for a glimpse of a tall, brooding figure.

On the second day, I had to actively prevent myself from worrying.

Most of the day was spent in the Tardis, exploring the various rooms and inner workings of that fabulous, living machine. I found the pool by noon and cannon-balled the anxiety of the day away. _No use distressing_, I told myself. _I can't make him come back. He has to want it for himself_.

I had only felt guiltier because of it.

The next morning, I tried to cook an anti-rat, just to see if it was possible, only to watch it explode like an egg in a microwave, spewing acid around the fire and ruining a sleeve of my new shirt.

The food from the Tardis' fridge was just fine after that.

So, here I am. Sleeveless. Homeless. Doctorless. Sitting around a pock-marked campfire waiting for what?

Hell if I know.

I uncrossed my arms and leaned forward, trying to see over the fire and into the forest beyond.

A figure twisted back behind a tree ten feet into the forest's edge. My heart leapt at the same time as my stomach plummeted. Jumping up from the fire, I grabbed a log and used it as a torch, running towards the forest.

"Doctor!" I shouted in relief and noticed that he stayed where he was. I slowed at the forest's edge and smiled to reassure him, but as I approached with the torch, he backed away slightly. Confused, I put my hands up. "Hey, it's ok. Are you alright? You have to hungry from your – "

I stopped mid-sentence in horror.

It wasn't the Doctor that was staring back at me.

I had been so lonely and so desperate for a familiar face that I had haphazardly run into a dark forest towards, not a man, but a humanoid. A rather curious and slightly menacing humanoid who's wide, bright eyes had grown as large as saucers at the torch that I held in my hand. We both recoiled from each other as my shock wore off and I jumped backward a few steps.

Its face was shrouded in darkness again, but now the being willingly stepped forward into the light. There was no menacing quality this time – just curiosity.

The fire. I was just beginning to realize my stupidity at building the fire to guide the Doctor home when the being spoke:

"YOU LOOK LIKE THE OTHER." Its head twitched in the direction of the fire and back to me. "INTELLIGENT AS WELL. SURPRISING."

I steeled my nerve in order to stay put. I took a breath to calm down. "I mean no disrespect to you by coming to this planet," I began. The humanoid seemed startled that either of us could understand each other. I wasn't about to tell it about the Tardis' abilities, and continued, "I'm looking for the Doctor. I believe he is the OTHER of which you speak. Is he safe?"

I wondered if the hopefulness in my voice would translate through as well.

"YOU APPROACH WITH FIRE AND YET YOU MEAN TO CAUSE RESPECT?" It blinked. "IT IS POSSIBLE THAT YOU MEAN WELL. YOU ARE NOT FROM HERE."

It turned to the side and began to return to the forest, but I called out before it left.

"Please! Is the Doctor alright? I have to know. He's my friend and we have to leave this place. He's supposed to help find my home!"

The being paused.

"EVERYONE KNOWS THEIR SOUL'S LOCATION. THAT YOU DO NOT BODES ILL FOR YOUR FUTURE AND HIS. WE DO NOT ALLOW THE SOULLESS TO LIVE." At that, it made to move like it would disappear again.

_What the hell does it mean by that?_ I thought.

"We have souls! You saw yourself that I can make a fire," I gestured to the flames now far behind me. "I bet that the soulless don't have intelligence. He and I just carry our souls with us. I assume that because you let me live, and were most likely observing for a while, that you're starting to believe the same thing."

Its eyes were now half the size that they were originally and it remained silent.

"He got to you, didn't he? The Doctor said something to you," I shook my head in amazement and laughed a little.

The being's wide mouth twitched.

"That's why you came out here! You were curious to see if I had a soul too. And you referred to him in the present tense, which means that the Doctor's still alive, despite you believing that he was soulless at first." I smiled. "He has that effect on people."

"HE IS ALIVE, YES," I finally noticed that the being's voice had a resonating quality, like it was coming from a cavern. "PERHAPS IT IS BEST THAT I BRING YOU TO HIM." Its eyes flicked back to the fire before it gestured to the torch that I still carried. "YOU CANNOT BRING THE FIRE BEYOND THIS POINT. THERE ARE...CREATURES YOU WILL DISTURB."

It reached out one immense hand that resembled a bat's wing and smothered the torch's flame, then turned and led me further into the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The solid blackness crowded against my chest like a living creature.

It was a couple hours before I heard rustling in the leaves and quickened my pace to more closely follow my guide. I didn't have to see that it still led the way. I felt it in the surroundings. The air ahead rippled with its bellow-like breathing and the rustling in the leaves stilled at the sound.

_Breathe. Just breathe. _

I mimicked its rhythm and took several slow deep breaths to still my quickly beating heart. The night chill entered my lungs and I let it out in a sigh without meaning to. It had been a long couple of days. At that thought I wondered what the Doctor had done to pass the time. Certainly wouldn't go swimming. I would have hit my head against a tree if one were nearby, but settled for rolling my shoulders and stretching to get rid of the stress.

My fingers brushed against a soft form to my left.

"Jesus!" I jumped to the right and landed against another figure. I gasped, but ended up choking on air. The dark figure gently pushed me back to my original spot behind the guide.

"DO NOT DAWDLE," my guide called back. "THEY ARE PROTECTORS, HERE TO ACCOMPANY US TO THE *****" The Tardis' translation left the last word as a complex wheeze of air.

_Yikes. Here to protect who from what?_ I thought. The night animals are scared of them. It's the breathing of a much larger creature that stops the smaller ones. What are they scared of? I glanced to my left and right, trying to spot the Protectors, but their breathing was well masked. It was just the guide that I could hear. The only 'friend' I had right now.

Then it occurred to were here to protect the community from me – the supposedly soulless monster.

I almost snickered at that until I remembered that the Doctor probably thought of me the same way. A cruel monster that would rather watch a guy's hardships than send him on a happily ever after quest.

Mentally, I slapped that idea away. No time for self-pity. _I've gotta get off this rock. Let the Doctor think as he may…for now._

The air began to warm a degree or two as the three of us walked in silence. I began to see the shape of my surroundings little by little. A dense cluster of trees three feet away to the right. A fallen log that we avoided on the left. It can't be morning yet and there's no moon, so how can I see anything?

I thought back on the past few nights. None of them were this short. Curious…

The air had warmed several more degrees by now. The guide stopped and turned to fully face me for the first time since we left my side of the forest. His eyes shifted to look at the Protectors and back to me. Almost uncertain.

His wide mouth opened a fraction, "THE OTHER IS BEYOND AND SAFE FOR THE MOMENT. NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN COLLECTED WE MAY PROCEED WITH THE INQUIRY." He began to turn around, but paused, as an afterthought and warned, "BEHAVE AND YOU MAY YET LIVE."

At this, he nodded to the Protectors. The one on the right took out something, though I couldn't tell in the darkness, until he placed it over my head as a makeshift blindfold. It felt like a silky woven fabric, clearly from nature as there was no industry. The leaves here were spikes, so those were an unlikely source. Tree fibers then?

I shook my head to clear the trivial thoughts, but the Protector to the left clamped a large hand on top of my head, like I was trying to shake off the blindfold. Not wanting them to get the wrong idea, I hurriedly explained, "I understand. I was just thinking. Lead on!"

The guide exhaled a gust of air, causing the breeze to vibrate slightly, and then we were moving. Weaving left and right, climbing for several minutes, and ducking under branches. It must have been 20 minutes of this and all the while the air was warming up to a balmy 45 degrees Fahrenheit, rather than the 30 degrees from earlier. We slowed.

There. Voices ahead. We must have broken cover of the trees because pieces of conversation drifted easily across the space.

"…BRINGING THE…ANYTIME NOW…"

"THIS…BAD IDEA…HEARD THE LEGENDS."

"…TIME TO…RID OF THEM BEFORE…"

The speakers noticed us at this point, I assumed, from the sudden drop in conversation. We approached the community and I could hear bellowed breathing far and near, with the occasional whisper. The only other thing that captured my attention so fiercely was a heat radiating to the right – fire. It had to be. This and the fading night would have been the source of the temperature shift from the past 20 minutes or so.

I cheered up at the thought of the roaring flames. _Now if I can just find the Doctor, it would be a regular party_.

The guide trudged towards this heat and the Protectors steered me in the correct direction, staying on my left side away from the fire. I stopped dead in my tracks at the growling from ahead.

A Protector tried to nudge me forward, but I dug my heels into the ground. The growling grew louder. Closer. "Is this really necessary?" I nearly squeaked.

"Jennifer!" a relieved voice called out. It was coming from the same direction as the growling.

"Ah shit," I squeezed my eyes shut even though they were behind the cover. Of course he had to be in that direction. That's where the monsters were. "You couldn't make this easy could you, Doctor?"

The Protector nudged me again, harder this time, to get me to hurry up. I took a step forward and tripped on something covering the ground. I managed to land on my side first and save my already scarred face. The blindfold, however, had slipped to the side and left me staring at a pile of bones littering the ground near the fire. I backpedaled into someone's foot and felt myself be hoisted from the ground and the blindfold discarded.

As the guide and Protectors left, I looked around at the scene before me.

A furry, stocky creature with fangs and a narrow head prowled around the fire, guarding a lean-to that looked as if it were made in haste. I squinted. A figure stirred from within the dark confines and walked into the doorway.

The real Doctor this time.

He hair was out of its usual swoop and had fallen carelessly across his forehead. The clothes were rumpled with dirt streaks from sleeping on the ground, and his shoes were nowhere in sight. Just a pair of cleverly fashioned sandals, but he was beaming with enthusiasm.

"Charming," I smirked and nodded to the sandals.

He crossed his arms, still in a good mood. "It turns out that the **-*-*," he coughed/wheezed the name, "has a fondness for cow hide." The Doctor patted the creature that had returned to his side. "We've been friends ever since."

"Only you would see the goodness in a monster," I said, trying to be sincere.

"A **-*-*, not a monster. It has a loyal character that most humans can only dream of."

"It was a compliment."

"It was backhanded," he retorted.

I attempted reason. "Your being a bit of an idealist."

He scowled, "And you're being human!" The Timelord spun on his heel and kicked dust.

Sitting in front of the fire, I prepared to wait out the storm, but the **-*-* trotted over and huffed angrily at me. I sat stock still until it returned to the Doctor's side and settled for staring at me.

I looked up at the Doctor, "I don't have anything to give it," and held up my hands up to show that they were empty.

"You don't have to give it anything."

"But what would make it like me?" I ventured.

He thought for a moment and tapped his chin. "Kindness."

I glanced around the fire and lean-to for a clue to solve this new puzzle. The bones had all been picked clean. There was nothing to try to entice it with. I gritted my teeth and leaned back on my elbows to think.

The Doctor's eyes slid over to my ruined shirt. "What happened?"

"Anti-rat," I mumbled, not paying much attention.

"Another one?"

"Not like that. I tried to eat it."

"Ah," he said, shifting to another foot. "You know those are mostly acid? An interesting species for the bottom of the food chain."

I could tell he was trying to make small talk. Probably to make up for calling me "human" earlier. The part that interested me for the moment was "the food chain".

I fumbled around in my old sweater pocket for the charred remains of the anti-rat that I knew would make for a funny story later. Grabbing a hold of a handful of the tough pieces, I waved them in the air to get the creature's attention.

It raised its head and sniffed, then looked over and drooled.

I tossed the pieces at its feet and watched as the creature devoured the carcass in a few deft maneuvers. It sat on its haunches and stared at me again.

The Doctor laughed now. "Yes, that seems to be all that it takes. I hope you know how to find another one of those later. The Inquiry may take a while." His face took on a stern quality as he stared out over the fire.

"Or at least until I figure out what it is. I don't suppose our hosts were any more forthcoming with that information to you?" he asked.

I shook my head.

He threaded his fingers together and stretched to crack his knuckles, smiling. "Of course not!" he commented cheerfully. "It's time to use that age old charm."

I threw him a sharp look, "Why didn't you do that before?"

He avoided my eyes. "If a highly advanced alien, a stranger no less, discovered your soul's location, would you let it leave with that information? No matter if he had a soul or not?" He patted the **-*-* again and scratched under its jaw while its foot tapped as happily as a dog.

"Transcending boundaries through time and space," I muttered under my breath.

The Timelord's gaze flicked to mine and he grinned. _Ah…that stupid, lovable alien. He's not gonna be happy if we can't take the dog._

Because really? That's what it was. An extraterrestrial guard dog.

_Geez. Stop worrying about the dog. How the hell are we getting back to the Tardis?_

Bones crunched on the other side of the fire. A group of Protectors and my former guide had returned and waited expectantly.

"IT IS TIME FOR THE INQUIRY TO BEGIN."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The hair on my arms rose as the sentence vibrated across the divide. The only warm part of that statement was the heat of the fire pushed from the other side. I looked to the Doctor for help, but he was already waiting with a calm smile.

"It's alright," he nodded. "We were expecting this, remember?" He held out an arm in good humor again and I looped mine through like a debutante being escorted to a ball. Not to her execution.

The Doctor led the way around the fire, taking care to step over the bones while looking as harmless as possible to the captors. The **-*-* dog whined a single deep note at our departure. The guide's eyes widened comically at this and he turned an appraising gaze to us as the Protectors took their stations on each side.

_This must be what the Pilgrims felt like during the witch hunts. Scrutinized by paranoids and one stubbornly silent normal guy._

I turned my eyes up to the sky in a 'Why me?' gesture and noticed the pale pink hue of morning rapidly approaching. The Doctor paused in attempting to be chummy with the Protectors and followed my gaze.

"Don't worry. You'll see plenty more of those," he correctly detected my mood. I clenched my teeth at the offhanded optimism and screwed my eyes shut while taking a deep breath. When I opened them again, he was staring at me from the corner of his eye with a concerned look.

I humored him. "This isn't a story now. There's no one scribbling over a desk, trying to write our way out of this."

"Pessimist."

I glared over in time to see his teeth flash out of the smile and into an innocent look. "I'm a realist."

He rolled his eyes, "I've discovered your world's problem! You've all forgotten that life _is_ a story. Every move you make is a part of history that," he leaned close again in a mock whisper, "by the way, gets written down in some form or another. Like all stories."

I stuck out my tongue and ignored the strange look from the Doctor's guard.

We walked in silence for a few moments more as our group rounded a curve before the Doctor leaned over and pretended to brush off a bug, whispering almost inaudibly, "Do you trust me?"

I pulled out of my reverie at the sudden change in tone and nodded slightly.

"Good," he smirked and murmured, "Finally a straight answer to that question. Follow my lead up ahead." He straightened again, still arm in arm, and smiled when the captors glanced over. They hastily looked away. I began to wonder what their legends said about the soulless. Images of vampires and zombies with super large eyes and long, spindly fingers weren't helping – I shuddered.

"THERE IS ANOTHER FIRE IN A MOMENT IF YOU ARE COLD."

I jumped a foot into the air, which earned a surprised cry of protest from the Timelord who was still locked onto my arm.

_That guide!_ _Shit_. _How long has he been watching?_

Carefully, this time I unlocked my arm from the Doctor and thought quickly, "Uh, th-thank you. It gets pretty chilly away from the fire here, even in the mornings."

The guide had begun to turn around, but at this last part he twisted to look back with a calculating stare.

"HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOUR ARRIVAL?"

"Eh…" I thought back to the exploding anti-rat, the pool, and the loss of the Doctor – both times. "This is the sixth day."

The guide looked away. "TOO LONG. THEY WON'T LET YOU LEAVE."

I watched as he stalked off towards the front of the group, and hoped halfheartedly that he was just being dramatic.

_What's that supposed to mean?_

The Doctor nudged my side with his elbow and I jumped again, forgetting for a moment that he was still walking beside me. It took me less than a second to notice the large crowd that was gathering at the far end of the community._ I hope whatever he has planned is going to work…_

We approached the crowd at a brisk pace, faster than they were expecting because they backed away quickly and parted like the Red Sea. The anxiety in the air was palpable.

As we passed the natives, I snuck a peek at their expressions. Most were uneasy, shifting their gazes between our group and theirs, while others were solemn. All had shown up to see how the Inquiry would decide our fate.

I glanced at the Doctor. His expression was neutral.

_Figures…Looks like I'll be the only one freaking out if this crowd turns into a mob._

At that moment, a murmur began making its way through the crowd, slowly growing in volume. I turned from side to side in search of the source and found it at the head of our group. The guide was on a stump a head above the crowd, waiting. As he twisted to the other half of the crowd, the murmuring ceased.

"WE ARE READY." The guide returned to face us, but this time the crowd mirrored his movements.

Hundreds of faces looked up at the Doctor and I. The fear and anxiety drained from their expressions. There was no malice. No anger. Just a sea of vacant stares.

"Well!" The Doctor grabbed my hand and dragged me through the crowd. "Not exactly what I had in mind, but when is it ever!"

As we brushed past the gatherers, the Timelord reached inside his jacket pocket for the screwdriver and pointed it at the clearing ahead. I could hear the Tardis whirring into existence, but had to stop before we could even make ten steps as a black fog fell over my vision.

Hundreds of voices whispered through the darkness, "BEGINNING."

_Oh…fudge._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

My stomach plummeted.

Every muscle screamed for me to run, but my body wasn't listening. The abyss surrounding me was entirely devoid of light, but unlike the darkness of the forest. There were no sounds or smells, no familiar bellow-like breathing, no Doctor. I could feel my heart start to race at the thought of being trapped in this hellhole, and then calm somewhat as I realized that heartbeat meant I was alive. _So where am I?_ It's not a planet. There's no air, but I'm not suffocating, and I can't move. It's like a bad dream. Or Hell. Although…through the darkness I could just make out a light, and last time I checked, Hell wasn't supposed to give you a reception.

_Yea right_, I thought. _There's no way in Hell I'm going to "move towards the light." It's going to have to drag me kicking and scre – _

- WHOOMP -

The darkness slingshotted me out of oblivion and into the waiting glow.

It wasn't warm or inviting. In fact, there was a sense that it didn't touch anything in this plane. It reminded me of a low natural light that could be found in a meadow at dusk, except this wasn't a meadow. The floor was still a black void and nothing else existed outside of the softly lit area.

"Beam me up, Scotty," I muttered, because really, it was as close as that phrase would ever get to being relevant in my lifetime.

I started to smile at my own pathetic attempt at humor when I heard movement beyond the large spotlight. A well polished, leather shoe emerged from the black curtain of the void followed by a crisp brown pant leg and tweed sleeve. Finally, the person was through.

I stared. "Who the hell are you?"

The man seemed about 31 years old with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a slender European face. The posture was all wrong though. He looked uncomfortably tense and…vaguely familiar.

"I led you through the woods last night. It is good to see that you no longer greet with fire," he took a step forward and looked up at the meadow light with appreciation. He closed his eyes and then looked back down to me.

"Your memories suggest that you equate this form with an impartial authority," he raised a hand to examine it. "We will need this for your Inquiry."

Everything clicked. "You're the guide?!"

Still frozen in place, I looked over his human form and professor outfit before laughing in spite of the trouble that I was in.

"You look ridiculous," and grinned.

The guide shifted his eyes and probably would have _tsked_ if he were actually my professor. "Don't do that again. Displaying the teeth is a sign of aggression even on your planet, if you only paid attention to your own memories."

Ah…there was the professorness leaching through.

"Wait," I said, just registering his remark. "How did you get access to _my_ memories? I'm supposed to be able to feel that kind of thing."

_Or so says Hollywood_, I sighed internally. There was a brief moment of silence as the guide waited for my full attention.

"Because, my dear," he whispered and opened his arms wide. "You let us in."

I gasped as hundreds of alien faces pushed forward all around from the inky black curtain into the light in a single-minded determination.

"Whoa!" I yelled. "This is your damn Inquiry?! What happened to the questioning?" I glared accusingly at the guide who had turned, dumbfounded, to stare at the still-struggling faces.

He looked back, this time in anger. "What are you doing? Let them pass!"

I crossed my arms. _Where did this anger come from? He used to be as calm and composed as a statue. _"Careful, guide. Control those _human _emotions. It looks like sifting through my mind has taken more of a toll on you than the others. Not so easy going through a soul-filled mind as it is a soulless one, eh? Or are you ignoring the signs?"

He shook his head. "The decision has been made. YOU ARE OF A VOLATILE RACE AND MUST FACE JUDGEMENT," his voice shifted back to the alien dialect that the Tardis had to translate.

_Oh. The Tardis. It's still here somewhere! No. Wait. Not here. Outside!_

"Wrong," I practically spat. "You are in MY head. MY world. And it's time to get the hell OUT!" then dropped the floor out from under them.

The faces vanished.

I smiled darkly at the empty space and moved to the center of the light, raising my arms and thinking of the outside world.

"Alright, Scotty. Let's go into the light."

The darkness lifted to show the ground rushing past, though I wasn't moving. There was open land to both sides and the curious sound of thunder under a clear sky. Shaking my head to clear the rest of the haze, I noticed that I was being carried by someone jogging quickly.

My heart jumped and muscles spasmed as I tried to shift out of the person's grasp.

"Whoa! Whoa!" A man's voice shouted, surprised, as he fumbled to avoid dropping me. I looked up at my captor and immediately hugged him.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," the Doctor huffed semi-humorously and set me down, grabbing my hand and sprinting towards the end of the clearing.

Confused, I glanced behind us, "What are we running fr – OH SHIT," and picked up the pace.

The crowd of Inquirers had awakened and was in hot pursuit half of a football field away with their hounds just joining the chase. It was too far to read their expressions, but I got the feeling that the crowd wasn't used to being disobeyed.

"HAHA!" I laughed and put up a mental road block to hold them at bay while keeping an eye out for the animals.

A symphony of baritone howls echoed through the forest.

"Hurry UP!" The Doctor twisted around and shouted while running backwards. "I don't want to have to carry you again, and through _that_, no less."

He pivoted and sprinted the rest of the way to the ship's door, throwing it back against the hinges and disappearing from sight. I made it inside a second later and turned back to survey the scene right when an **-**-* leapt straight for my throat. There was no time to shut the door. I threw myself to the floor at the same moment as another hound barreled into the first, knocking it out of the way and returning to stand guard in the doorway.

_The **-*-* from the fire!_

"Did I mention that I was totally alright with the Doctor keeping you?" I asked, incredulously.

The **-*-* wheezed a sound and growled at the outside.

The other hound had retreated, but the guide was at the head of the mob that was now bearing down on the Tardis. Even outside of my mind, I could tell that he still retained some of the stronger human emotions – anger, mostly. But also fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of his developing personality, and, from the despair in his eyes, a fear of being left behind.

The door closed and the Tardis whirred to life.

The Doctor turned the lock and pulled his hand back from the frame. "You know that he couldn't have come with us."

I made a face and tread to the center console with the Timelord in tow. "He wanted me killed, but I just think that his personality was all a mess."

"How do you mean?" The Doctor asked and bent to pet the **-**-* that was now resting contently on the floor. "I was a bit busy carrying you to notice. You know, you must weigh _at least_ a hundr – "

"Don't," I threw a warning look and then smiled when I couldn't keep a straight face. "Seriously though, I think he might be in danger here. Those natives didn't take kindly to strangers and his human emotions didn't disappear when he left my mind."

Something occurred to me.

"Why didn't they Inquire at you?!" I demanded.

He opened his mouth to reply, a smug expression on his face, when a door slammed several feet behind us.

We jumped at the sound and I hid while the Doctor smoothly turned to the front door.

"Ah," he clapped his hands. "A visitor. I love company, but that door was locked. How did you get on my ship?" The Timelord paused in consideration. "I seem to be asking that a lot lately."

I poked my head up from behind the stairs to see who the Doctor was talking to, but the "visitor" saw the movement and caught my gaze.

"YOU."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the television show, "Doctor Who," nor any of its characters. The following story was written purely for my own amusement.

A/N: Sorry for being gone so long. No excuses. I'll try to stick with you guys and keep updating.

* * *

><p>Chapter 12<p>

His eyes widened in fury.

The guide stood, feet planted wide, in front of the door as if to block it from our escape. Of course, I would just push him through it if it came to any trouble. But he didn't know that.

I extended to my full height from behind the stairs and strolled casually to the Doctor's side, still shorter than both of them, and keeping eye contact with the intruder.

"YOU VIOLATED THE LAWS OF THE INQUIRY. I MUST BRING YOU TO FACE JUSTICE," he took a step forward as he spoke. The **-*-* growled a warning and the guide looked at it in confusion.

"You didn't even let me have a chance to defend myself during it. Where's the justice in that?" I demanded.

"NO QUESTIONS. JUST FACTS FROM THE MEMORIES OF THE ACCUSED. YOU FAILED."

"Always in such a hurry to end the conversation," the Doctor said lightly, circling to step between us. "I'm curious. Which memories caused her to fail?" He bounced on the balls of his feet, his hands in his jacket pockets.

"REBELLION," the guide put simply.

"Baloney! Every human rebels when they're a kid!" I said without thinking.

"SOME CONTINUE INTO ADULTHOOD," the guide stated, practically glaring. "THEY DO NOT FIT THEIR GIVEN ROLES. THEY ARE ANGRY AND OF NO USE TO SOCIETY."

I bit back a sharp retort. "I'm allowed to choose my own role."

"SO CHOOSE. YOU WANT EVERY ROLE AND NONE. DANGER AND SAFETY. YOU ARE A CONUNDRUM AND WILL BE A BURDEN ON SOCIETY. WE ARE _DONE_ HERE." The guide pulled a device from the back of his wrist faster than a gunslinger and was instantly zapped by an energy burst into the fetal position.

The Doctor pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and smiled, shaking his head. "You have to love a good security system, especially one with a remote activator." He waggled the device, then stepped over and dragged the unconscious form off to the side. Peering at the screwdriver and pressing a button, the Doctor pointed it at the ship's console and back to the guide. A bubble of energy formed around the now sleeping alien.

I stared. Its breath was rising and falling so slowly it was hard to believe the being was alive. "You know, I liked him better before this whole mess…He's not in a coma, is he?"

"Hibernating. He's a few months early, but this is just temporary. He'll be fine. What's odd is how he walked in." He walked to the Tardis console and pressed a few buttons. "Aha…she _let_ him in."

"She what?"

The Doctor ignored this and hopped down from the console platform to the guide's side and crouched to examine the being's face. "I don't see it."

I sighed and took the bait. "Don't see what?"

"Who he is. How he's important. He doesn't look like anyone from history I know."

"Shouldn't we kick him back out then?" I asked hopefully. "He'll be right where he needs to be and we can just – "

"It's not on _this_ planet that he'll be important. It's located across their entire galaxy," he rubbed a hand over his chin.

"Okay… so what does that mean? He'll eventually hitch a ride off this lovely rock and…Oh," realizing the flaw in that logic.

The Timelord barked out a laugh and went to the navigation panel, setting the Tardis in motion. "Yes, not many ships land here. He's coming with us."

I groaned.

"I'll go get him a pillow."

The next morning, I tried nudging awake the sleeping form at a safe distance, just to see how deep he was slumbering.

"Are you sure you didn't kill him?" I questioned the Doctor, busily typing something into the ship's computer.

"He's fine," the Doctor said absently. The Tardis was pulling up star charts while he sifted through the information.

The solar system on screen held three planets orbiting a sun. The image enlarged on the smallest to show a grey, barren surface with storm clouds scattered in the atmosphere. After a minute of hovering, the computer zoomed out far enough so that we could see a small moon.

"That's the one." He tapped a key and the moon's surface came into focus.

"What about food? I don't have any more anti-rats for the mutt, and who knows what the guide…" The next thought flew away as the picture on screen grew larger.

If the grey planet was like Mars with a bad attitude, then the moon was like Earth's baby brother. An ocean of sapphire blue covered most of the surface, parted by lush islands and a center land mass of sage green. _That must be a dormant volcano_, I thought. I say dormant because the industrial complex on the main island was large enough to see from space. You don't create a facility like that unless you _know_ the land mass is stable.

"That's where he belongs?" I asked, incredulous. "Because, you know, we've earned a few weeks off too. And I'm not just saying that on behalf of the unspoiled beaches and rainforests. Honest."

"That," the Timelord smiled, "is the home of a great theoretical physicist. Or will be. He might be able to help us understand how you came to be here and why the tear in reality is behaving abnormally. We have plenty of time to drop off our guest at his destination afterwards. It will take him some time to adjust to the situation anyways." His grin widened and he nodded at the moon on screen, typing and pushing buttons for the coordinates.

"Shall we go say hello?"

The Tardis howled its way through space even as the guide woke screaming bloody murder.

Of course that woke the **-*-*who decided to bring nails on a chalkboard back into style. I took this opportunity to study the insides of my eyelids and blacked out.

Sometime between that nightmare and the next, I woke to angry voices and the smell of pancakes. "…TALKING ABOUT? DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! DID YOU EVEN _THINK_? TAKE ME BACK _RIGHT NOW_!" The Doctor was looking very pale across from the alien, not hibernating I noticed, and still holding a spatula as batter sizzled on the skillet.

"Can we never do that again?" I ventured wearily.

The guide never skipped a beat, but the Doctor glanced over and gave a brief, apologetic smile before returning attention to the rant. Something warm and fuzzy took this opportunity to nearly knock me back to the floor.

"Aghh!" The **-*-* continued to settle down at my side. "You guys are wreaking hell on my nerves. And you!" Sending my best annoyed stare at the mutt, "Even your ears must be ringing after that little outburst. Nobody was dying. Was it really necessary?"

_Actually, yes._

I turned wide-eyed and very slowly to stare the animal in the eyes. "Pardon?"

The smell of burnt pancakes hung in the air.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The **-*-* and I stared at each other.

It looked at me with what the native aliens might have called soulful puppy dog eyes, but they just managed to make it slightly less predatory. Not that I was about to tell it differently.

_Is something wrong?_ The voice asked.

"Did you just…talk to me?" _I'm going crazy. That's it_, I thought. _I needed that vacation more than I realized_. The **-*-* just looked away and put its head down.

"What? That's it? That's all you've got to say?"

"Jennifer…" a voice began cautiously. I swirled around to find the Doctor taking a step forward. He looked so tired now. So much older. "Are you alright?"

_Oh no. I look crazy._ "The dog, **-*-*," and tried to cough/wheeze correctly. "Whatever. It just said something. I swear… "

_Fudge, I sound crazy too. Just leave it alone, Jen. Just leave it alone._

_Incorrect_, the voice came back.

"What?" Now I was more confused than ever. The dog hadn't budged.

"I said, 'Are you alright?' That's all." The Doctor took another step forward. Then another.

_Pay attention_, it said again.

I crammed my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut. _I'm not crazy. I don't feel crazy. I can't be crazy._

A long, heavy sigh. The Timelord was now standing beside me, then crouched down and pulled my hands away from my ears. He looked at me sadly, but there was a bit of humor in his voice- "I haven't broken you, have I? All this running about?"

He was genuinely troubled by it, I realized. It was kind of nice, in some horrible twisted way.

_You're not crazy. Pay attention, _The voice reiterated. _Look._

I looked up at the Doctor, his smile a mixture of nervousness and fatherly concern, looked at the **-*-*, napping by the sounds of it, and looked at the guide. The guide. Who was staring me down, much as I was staring the mutt down just a moment ago.

_Figure it out yet?_

"It's you…" I whispered.

The Doctor tilted his head. "You, what? What have I done?" He looked at the guide, then back at me. Then at the guide. Back at me. The gears almost visibly clicked into place and he settled back on the guide. "I see."

"Telepathy, I assume?" He sprang off the floor. "You know, it helps if you warn the other person," shaking a finger now, although all thought was apparently re-focusing on the center console.

Crisis averted. Life goes on, clearly. I sighed.

A low rumble gurgled and I realized, with a sharp stab to the abdomen, that it was still the breakfast-y portion of the day. The pancakes had been abandoned judging by the smell of ash, but maybe he finished a few…

_Did you know his plan? _

Grumbling, I headed over to the hallway where the burnt smell was coming from. "You could just say it out loud."

_Did you know he planned to leave my soul behind?_

I stopped at this.

He was still a few feet away, but the pull of the question brought my eyes to his for the second time that morning. A pang of guilt ran through my body. He didn't deserve to be in pain, no matter what he'd been prepared to do back on the planet. But there was no avoiding the need to take him with us.

"The reason was just. Didn't you talk to the Doctor?" I asked and continued into the kitchen. The Tardis must have moved it over this morning. Last time I checked, it had been next to the library, which in itself told me more about the owner than he ever would. _Learning a little more about you when I least expect it_. "Hey, how did you wake up from the hibernation anyways?" I popped my head around the corner into the hallway, but the guide was gone.

"Two moody aliens on this ship," I muttered, gesturing wildly with the spatula. "There's only room for one! And he's running the show whether you like it or not!"

"I heard that!" a voice in the distance replied cheerfully.

"Not like the poor guy's a zombie," I said to myself, and scooped up one of the few safe pancakes to take a bite. "He looks just fine. Even has a bit more personality. A little spunk. Pizzazz."

But something about that sounded…off.

Musing on this, I went to find a sounding board. The Doctor was standing over the ship's computer, pulling up images of data too quickly for the human eye to process before moving onto the next set.

"Want to see something cool?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Just a second. Something's bugging me. How likely is it that the guide's personality would do a complete 180 in a day?"

He paused to look away from the information, "Very likely, since it's already happened. The mechanics of it is something I've been considering since yesterday. This morning helped fill in some of the gaps." He straightened up and gestured to me and the other side of the Tardis. "You two are psychically connected. The only explanation that makes sense, since I don't share a connection with our friend, is that this happened during the Inquiry. Now I am _very_ old and have experience in blocking psychic attacks, but you didn't have that luxury."

The Doctor tapped his head, "He was in your mind long enough for you to recognize each other and even take on a temporary form, from what you've told me." He paused, "That type of mental connection is hard to break."

His face was a mask. Like he was searching for something.

I hesitated, not wanting to insult him but still not understanding, "What are you implying?"

The Doctor sighed and ran a hand across his face. "Well…this is just theory now. His species' consider their souls connected to the planet. If that's true, then it's possible when we left the atmosphere that _his very being_ attached itself to the nearest available source." He let that sink in for a moment.

"Me."

"You."

"So he's…what? Piggybacking off my soul?" I laughed.

He responded with silence.

"He can't do that."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "Ask him." He leaned against the console, nodding in the direction the guide went. "Telepathy's can be a two way street."

_You hearing this, sunshine?_ I sent and waited.

_There is no sun,_ he finally replied.

_That was sarcasm. I was implying that you're acting the opposite…It's a human thing. I hear that you'll get used to it. The Doctor says you're soul is linked to mine. That true?_

I got the equivalent of a growl in return.

_Could be worse_, I offered. Another growl.

I cut off the conversation, snickering. The back of my neck tingled. Turning around, the Doctor was running a program on the computer, from the looks of the new data, and watching me from the edge of his vision. His eyes darted back to the screen.

My stomach twisted. "You're doing that mad scientist impression again. What's going on?"

"Well," he began and smoothed his jacket, not meeting my gaze at first. "I ran a very small, tiny," and made a pinching motion, "itsy bitsy diagnostic on you. Nothing to worry about. Well, maybe. I'm not actually sure yet. I am _fairly_ positive that you won't be harmed by sharing your soul – "

"Great!"

" – as long as you stick close to our friend. Why don't we know his name? The guide."

"Yahar," I said, and realized I knew this and more. "And that is NOT good news. What's going to happen if we leave him on the ship in a bubble while we talk to the physicist?" I asked.

He smiled and walked over to put his hands on my shoulders. "Then your soul, or piece of it, whatever he's sharing, could go flying right out of you and into a brand new, fully fledged Yahar." The Doctor clapped his hands together excitedly and spun me around as he ran past.

"Why are you happy about that?!"

"Because he's coming with us!" he shouted over his shoulder and threw open the door. "That's what I wanted to show you." The bright blue moon, teeming with life, lay below. "We're already there!"


End file.
